I spent a great few days in Porto last week, checking out hotels in the city and surrounding areas. Porto is truly a wonderful place with very friendly people, it is not particularly sophisticated but has a faded charm and elegance and caters very well for visitors.

Research published this week:

Scientists say moderate walking enhances connections between the brain's circuits, combats a drop in brain function linked to ageing and even improves performance in reasoning tasks.
By studying brain scans, psychologists at Illinois University found cognitive function levels among nearly 100 self-confessed couch potatoes improved dramatically after a year in which they walked a few times a week, compared with participants who only did stretching exercises.

And the beauty of all this was that the walking was done at the walkers own pace there was none of this power walking and confirms what I have been saying for years 'walk at your own pace' - I guess that is why I have now reached genius level on the latest IQ studies (only joking)!

My thanks to Andy G who informed me that he had spotted a Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis a aethiopicus) close to Lagos airport in the Algarve on August 5th 2010.

This week our new web site www.madeirawalks.com was launched (well sent out into cyberspace) and I am pleased with the result. The site is simple and easy to use and will be an off shoot from www.portugalwalks.com - I am told it will help to increase traffic to both!
Some new walks have been put together in the Algarve and without wishing to boast I do not think there is now any part of the west Algarve where I haven't walked. Of course there are many tracks and paths but the secret is to be able to put together a circular walk that has some interesting features that people will enjoy and that is not as easy as one thinks!
Of course I am realistic in knowing that the Algarve is not many peoples first choice for a walk for the area gets a very bad press. But this photo will show what many people are missing, the area is less then 10 miles inland from the coastal resorts of Carvoeiro and Praia da Rocha - a wilderness which in spring is awash with flowers.